Things to know before heading to Centre County polls for PA’s primary election today
Registered Republican and Democratic voters in Centre County will head to the polls Tuesday to vote in Pennsylvania’s primary election, where they’ll choose who will appear on the ballot in November.
Polling places will be open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. May 16 for those who are voting in person. Democratic and Republican voters will choose their parties’ candidates for school board, council/supervisor and state court races.
In a press release Monday, acting Secretary of the Commonwealth Al Schmidt encouraged voters to familiarize themselves with their rights before heading out to vote in person.
“All Pennsylvania voters can find a wealth of information about their rights on our vote.pa.gov website,” Schmidt said. “Every voter should be well informed about how to exercise their right to vote.”
If anyone experiences intimidation, harassment or discriminatory conduct while voting, they should report it to the judge of elections, their county board of elections, their county district attorney’s office or the Department of State’s year-round voter hotline at 877-VOTESPA (877-868-3772), the release states.
To see how the ballot appears before voting, check out the sample ballots online at centrecountyvotes.gov.
Voters who are unsure of their polling location can find it at pavoterservices.pa.gov.
Voting by mail
Mail ballots must be received by the Centre County Elections Office by 8 p.m. May 16. Drop boxes for mail-in ballots closed Monday morning, but if you still have a mail-in ballot, it can be brought to the elections entrance at the Willowbank Building, 420 Holmes St., Bellefonte.
Voters who applied for and received a mail ballot but then decided they want to vote at the polls will need to bring their mail ballot, including the outer return envelope, with them to be voided.
Voters who applied for a mail ballot but did not return it and no longer have the mail ballot and outer envelope may vote by provisional ballot at their polling place Tuesday, according to the release. Voters who applied for a mail ballot but never received it should vote by provisional ballot at the polls. According to the release, the county board of elections will decide if the provisional ballot can be counted.
The Centre County board of elections will begin the processing/pre-canvassing of absentee and mail-in ballots at 7 a.m. Tuesday. People can watch that process online via the C-NET livestream.
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This story was originally published May 16, 2023 at 6:00 AM.
